Sell your business in Montreal
A business sale is usually the largest transaction of an owner's life, and you only get one chance at it. The work is to set a price you can defend, find buyers who can actually close, keep the process confidential, and let you keep running the business until the day it changes hands.
What the mandate covers
- Valuation. Earnings normalized for the owner's salary and one-time items, compared with what buyers pay in your sector.
- Preparation. Financial statements, lease, supplier and staff information organized before the first buyer sees it, with weak points dealt with or disclosed up front.
- Confidential marketing. A summary that does not name the business; full information only after a signed confidentiality agreement.
- Buyer qualification. Financial capacity, experience and financing checked before any meeting.
- Negotiation. Price, terms, vendor financing, conditions and the transition period you will provide.
- Due diligence and closing. Coordinated with your accountant and lawyer through to signature.
Confidentiality comes first
Employees, suppliers, customers and competitors should not learn that a business is for sale from the market. Every buyer signs a confidentiality agreement before receiving the name or the financial statements, and visits are arranged so the business keeps running normally.
Sometimes the best advice is to prepare first
Many owners are better served by preparing for a year or two before going to market: cleaning up the financial statements, reducing what depends on them personally, renewing the lease. If that is your case, Lorne will say so, and the diagnostic and coaching work can get the business ready.
Fees
Seller mandates are on a success-fee basis: you pay when the sale closes. The terms are set out in a written mandate before any marketing begins.
Questions owners ask
Will my employees find out?
Not from the process. The business is marketed without its name, buyers sign a confidentiality agreement before receiving details, and visits are arranged discreetly. When and how to tell staff is planned with you.
What is my business worth?
It depends on its earnings, its stability, how much it depends on you and what buyers in your sector are paying. A valuation looks at all four and explains the number.
Should I sell now or wait?
It depends on your earnings trend, your lease, your market and your own plans. A valuation shows what the business would sell for today and what would raise that number, so you can decide with the facts.
Talk it through before you commit
The first consultation is free and carries no obligation. Most clients start with a phone call: describe your business and what you are considering, whether expanding, selling or buying, and Lorne will tell you plainly what it would take.